A great read for all who love of thrillers! The plot was original and I couldn’t flip the pages fast enough with how enveloping this book was.

“𝐈 𝐭𝐫𝐲 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐭𝐨 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐤. 𝐁𝐞𝐜𝐚𝐮𝐬𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐚𝐥𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐧𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐦𝐞𝐚𝐧𝐬 𝐧𝐚𝐯𝐢𝐠𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐡𝐨𝐥𝐞𝐬 𝐢𝐧 𝐦𝐲 𝐦𝐞𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐲, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐈 𝐜𝐚𝐧’𝐭 𝐛𝐞𝐚𝐫 𝐭𝐨 𝐝𝐨 𝐚𝐧𝐲 𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐧 𝐈 𝐚𝐥𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐲 𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐞.”

This cover had me intrigued from the get-go; what was inside definitely held up to the spooky isolated vibes.

Megan Lally’s debut novel starts off strong, with first person narration simply titled ‘Girl,’ with said character lying in a ditch, unsure of how she got there, covered in blood, AND not knowing who she is. From there is a wild ride between the girl’s father, Wayne, coming to claim her at the local police station and taking her to an isolated cabin to the other perspective of Drew, a teenager who is searching for his missing girlfriend, Lola. I really loved Drew, even as he made decisions that were questionable and appreciated that Lally gave him a strong support system in his Dads, his cousin Max (them saying I love you to each other was so refreshing), and eventually, Lola’s best friend Autumn. Drew, Max and Autumn remind me of the Drew Crew or the Scooby Gang as they unite together to try to figure out what happened to Lola, creating a few moments of needed levity (“𝑔𝑒𝑡 𝑖𝑛 𝑙𝑜𝑠𝑒𝑟𝑠, 𝑤𝑒’𝑟𝑒 𝑔𝑜𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑠𝑙𝑒𝑢𝑡ℎ𝑖𝑛𝑔” in particular). Lally creates a feeling of claustrophobia, both in the cabin where Mary and Wayne are, and in the town where all eyes are on Drew, seeing him as a constant threat. The reveals and tight pacing were well done, with the ending going in a place I did not expect, that was both surprising and emotional.

That’s Not My Name is a story of memory, remorse, blame, and grief. It is a promising debut with well developed characters that is both emotional and twisted. It would make for a fantastic television adaptation. Thank you to SourceBooks Fire and NetGalley for the ARC!

Thank you to Sourcebooks FIRE, NetGalley, and Megan Lally for an advance copy of That’s Not My Name in exchange for an honest review.
First off, I can’t believe this is a debut- it was excellent! This book is told is multiple POVs. It follows three friends as they try to track down their missing friend, Lola. The other point of view is told by Mary, our Jane doe in the story. I found myself turning the pages as fast as I could to figure out what was actually happening with Mary as her friends tried to find her.
I think this was really well written and had a good & developed plot for a YA thriller and it didn’t feel juvenile to me. This one is out now!

4.5 stars, rounded up to 5 for GR!

An unputdownable gripping story that had me hooked from the first chapter.
This book had my undivided attention from the very beginning. The story did appear too obvious, especially when you read the synopsis, like there will be no surprising factor at any. But then at the 80% mark the twist really hit. The author was very sneaky with the information given throughout the book. Or, actually, I was too blind to see the clues because they didn’t fit my narrative. Silly me.
The dual perspective made the story even more engaging. I not once wanted to put the book down because I needed to keep reading to know when both protagonists would finally collide. And I must say it did not disappoint.
The climax was so heart pounding, it was like a movie was playing in my mind. The action scenes were pretty well described and I didn’t loose track of what was going on. The ending was just perfect. It was what the story needed to land one final blow. It had me teary eyed, but I think that’s actually a good thing. It means the book made me feel for its characters and I truly connected with the story.
Reading this fast paced YA thriller was such a great experience, I enjoyed every second of it and would definitely recommend it to any reader looking for a quick, entertaining thriller. I can’t wait to see what this author comes up with next.

Clever mystery!
A 17yo young woman wakes up in a ditch and has no idea how she got there. A police officer drives by, sees her, helps her and takes her to the police station where he questions her and realizes that she has lost her memory. She has a flashback of standing by a cluster of postal mailboxes and big hands grabbing her but she remembers nothing else. Soon after, a man arrives asking the police officer for help in finding his missing daughter. Alternately, a community is searching for a missing teenage girl that disappeared while walking home. Could this be the same girl?

Likes/dislikes: The mystery kept me glued to the pages. The characters are an interesting and diverse set of personalities. The mystery unravels cleverly.
Mature content: G
Violence: PG-13 for bloody hitting and bloody death.
Language: R for 156 swears and 83 f-words.
Ethnicity: falls to white.

Recommended reading! Story is told well and characters are emotion provoking. A young girl is found roadside, injured and without her memory. The man who claims she is his daughter, manages to confirm that info with the police and takes her to his cabin. Claiming her name is Mary, she is confused when a series of events don’t ring true.
Meanwhile a young girl goes missing after a fight with her parents and her boyfriend. The boyfriend and his close friends go on a desperate search to find her.

This is one of the best books I've read in the last year!! It rotates between 2 perspectives and the suspense is intense! Megan brings the characters to life and has you rooting for the good guys, hating the bad guys, and full of emotions from page 1! I I've already recommended this to all of my friends, and will definitely be buying it for my bookshelf. Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for annadvanced copy in exchange for my honest review!

Thank you Netgalley, author Megan Lally and Sourcebooks Fire for this ARC in exchange of an honest review.

I rarely read YA novels as most of the time I couldn't seem to connect with the characters. However, this book kept my interest glued to the story, despite the fact that I kind of knew already how the story will go. I like the depth of each character and how the writer told the twist, and the ending got me emotional! I highly recommend this book!

I flew through this book. I was hooked from the very beginning.

I had so many emotions while reading through the series of events throughout the book. I cried, felt so much anger and frustration. I felt grief. I felt the grief that Drew felt.

I couldn't not put this down long enough to do anything else. It pushed everything else away for the day just so I could finish. And I'm so glad I did. I don't know that I have felt grief for a fictional character like this before but it tore me up inside.

But please don't let that dissuade you from reading this. I am very empathetic to my characters and I get so emotionally invested.

This was such a great book. I can't recommend it enough.

Thank you to Netgalley for the complimentary copy. All opinions are my own, honest and voluntary.

Thank you to Netgalley and SOURCEBOOKS Fire, Sourcebooks Fire for gifting this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This book was so intense and kept me on my feet. The climax of the book was so suspenseful and totally shocked me. I didn't see it coming. I loved the dual POV between Mary and Drew. I think seeing Drew's POV made the story and gave us the back story we needed.

Definitely recommended to those who like suspense and thrillers.

I have to say, thrillers are not my go-to when it comes to book. But I was given an opportunity with this acr and so I thought, lets do this!
I COULD NOT PUT THIS BOOK DOWN!! Literally finished it in one sitting, frantically turning each page to see how the story was going to unfold. I felt like I ran a marathon when I finished, runner's high and all.

I absolutely loved this book. It was really well written and it was also surprising. Thank you for the arc. I really appreciate it.

This was a great thriller. Definitely worth the read. Thank you so much for letting me read this. Definitely a 5 star

That's Not My Name REALLY delivered on the tension! I was absolutely pleasantly surprised, going into it knowing nothing about it. The reader quickly figures out the gist, and I was on the edge of my seat waiting to find out what would happen to our main character.

The story alternates between the POV of "Mary", the main character, and Drew. I wasn't as invested in Drew's chapters, but I appreciated the contrast to the tense anticipation of Mary's chapters.

The epilogue packed an unexpected emotional touch that really brought this read home. I don't always love YA thrillers but this one was a great debut! I'm looking forward to more by this author.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for giving me an ARC in exchange for an honest review!

lesson learnt: put all your social medias on private and never do anything alone at night (that’s a given.)

first of all, this has been the only book (to my own recollection) that has made me feel a sense of dread through every chapter and sentence, i knew something was wrong from the start (obviously from the description of the book) but the writing did a really good job in strengthening the sense of foreboding, bonus points for that!

i’ll make my review as short as possible to avoid spoilers but the way more details of the missing person case got revealed the more on edge as i was, same goes to when mary slowly regains her memory and uncovers more of her new life. the last few chapters took a really really different turn, it literally had my jaw dropping, had me dropping my tablet and staring into the void for a few good seconds.

conclusion: read it!! and go into it blind :P

A serial killers obsession with finding his "daughter" leads to a string of missing teenage girls.

Wayne Boone finds his "daughter" at a police station after she is found wondering on a road. Wayne proves that the girl is his "daughter" with documentation since she has no memory of who she is. Wayne's demeanor changes as the girl known as Mary begins to recall her past and discovers he has been lying to her. She discovers that her loving father is not who he claims to be.

Drew is convinced that his ex-girlfriend, Lola, is in danger when she disappears from town without a trace. Drew is blamed for her disappearance by the local police and townspeople. Drew, his cousin, and Autumn find a break in the case which leads to a race against time to find Lola before its' too late.

Megan Lally well written novel is a page turner with its plot and characters. Wayne seems like a caring father who is concerned about his "daughter", Mary, who is found wondering the road. Wayne shows his darker side when Mary begins to disappoint him. Drew's belief that Lola is alive gives readers hope that the will come home. I highly recommend this book. It is a great read for its plot that makes readers wonder if Mary and Lola are the same person.

I just finished That’s not my Name by Megan Lally @Megan_Lally and here are my thoughts.

When a teenager wakes on the side of a dirt road covered in bruises and blood and no memory of how she got there… she is relieved when a police officer finds her and takes her to the police station.

Realizing she has no memory, the police officer asks her question after waiting, frustrating the girl no end then boom… in comes a frantic man. He’s been searching for his teenage daughter for hours.
He has her ID, birth certificate, even photos of them together on his phone. Case closed. He says her name is Mary but it doesn’t sound right to her ears…


Drew is in deep trouble. His girlfriend Lola went missing and is presumed dead. He was the last person to see her and the whole town knows it was him. He doesn’t believe she is dead and he has to prove his innocence. She’s in danger and he has to find her before it’s too late.

This was one twisty turning book. I was gripped from start to finish! The book is written from two POVs, Drew’s and his mission to find Lola and Mary’s trying to regain her memory. It’s a lot. This book has so much going and it’s a real page turner. It’s dark… it’s intense and it delivered everything I was looking for.

I actually loved all the characters. They all meshed well together and I loved the banter between Drew and his friends. Watching Mary’s story unfold was really interesting. She was being told about herself but it really didn’t fit her perception of what she feels about herself, even with no memory.

So well written and I enjoyed everything about it. The ending was totally unexpected and I gasped. A literal gasp came from my mouth. I won’t spoil it for you but dang… this book!

This debut thriller (I still can’t believe it’s a debut!) will have you thirsting for more. This is the thriller to beat all thrillers this year.

5 stars

Thank you @netgalley and @sourcebooks for my gifted copy

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The pace is active, and I really enjoyed the alternating POVs. There twist was good, as well. I wish the characters had been better developed. For a debut, it was a good effort. There were some inconsistencies, but since this is an advanced copy, that may be fixed in the final version.

Swift, well-crafted YA mystery novel about a girl gone missing - and everyone suspect the boyfriend, while not really investigating the disappearance. Also, there is a girl with amnesia who had been returned to her caring father. Ummm...and yes, these cases are connected, somehow.
I find this an intelligently written sleuth novel, where young Drew with two friends form a formidable troup to follow a clue - with believable logic, condident built-up and well-thought plot. This really could happen the way it is written - which is, in a way, a scary knowledge.
I enjoyed this novel very much, it is refreshing to see such a good plotting!

Small minus - the fact that Drew is from same-sex parent family (two fathers) seems to be added just for the sake of diversity, as it adds nothing to the plot.

This was a great YA thriller. Very quick read and it kept me engaged right from the start. I understand why it has so many glowing reviews!